In an aircraft, various movable elements such as ailerons, flight control surfaces, or indeed the cover of a thrust reverser, are associated with actuators in order to be capable of being moved between a neutral position and an active position. For this purpose, each actuator is driven by a motor to move in translation between two abutments. By way of example, for a flap, a first abutment is associated with the neutral position of the movable element, and a second abutment is associated with the active position of the movable element. Under such circumstances, when the motor is powered, it drives the actuator, which in turn moves the associated movable element.
In order to detect any failures or ageing in the drive of the movable element, it is appropriate to monitor the motor and the actuator, with this usually being done by sensors associated with the motor and/or the actuator.
Nevertheless, the sensors usually arranged around the motor and/or the actuator do not always enable all of the desired measurements to be obtained for monitoring various electrical and mechanical parameters of the drive. For example, such sensors do not make it possible to measure the electromagnetic torque of the motor, even though it would be possible to deduce parameters therefrom that are of interest in monitoring the drive.
Proposals have been made to measure the electromagnetic torque when the aircraft is on the ground by using external measuring equipment.
Nevertheless, that requires the aircraft to be available on the ground for a sufficient length of time and regularly so as to enable the measurements to be taken and renewed regularly so as to take account of wear in the motor and the actuator.
Proposals have subsequently been made to integrate an additional sensor for sensing electromagnetic torque in the aircraft.
Nevertheless, that necessarily leads to increases in cost and also in weight and bulk, which are not desirable, in particular in the field of aviation.